12 ways to keep the nutrients in your food

Food is most often processed before consumption to improve the taste, texture and shelf life. Cooking of food is also a kind of processing wherein different ingredients are mixed together to create a recipe or dish. However, whether the food is processed commercially or is cooked at home, there is some alteration in its nutrient value. This alteration is more so with respect to the micronutrients. Whether one is wanting to know how to cook when on a weight loss program or how to prepare healthy food for kids or even cook for someone who is under medical nutrition therapy or on a clinical nutrition program, retaining the maximum nutrients for good health is essential. Hence, selecting the right cooking methods and other procedures will help in maximising the nutrient content of the foods. Some water - soluble nutrients are lost in the process of cooking or while discarding cooking water. Also, long cooking times or high cooking temperatures can destroy nutrients.

Remember, no cooking technique or procedure will preserve the nutrients a hundred percent. The loss can only be minimized to different degrees. Here, we discuss 13 simple changes which can help your tasty food become healthier too.

1. Water soluble vitamins are lost when vegetables are cut and soaked or washed in water. Hence, avoid soaking or washing them with water after they are cut. Instead, prefer cleaning the vegetable as a whole and then cut it.
2. Pulses and grains when washed a number of times under water tend to also lose nutrients. To minimize the losses, reduce the number of washes.
3. For the vegetables whose skin needs to be peeled, peel the skin as thinly as possible as most of the nutrients in the fruits and vegetables are concentrated just below the skin. Have the fruits and vegetables with the skin as far as possible.
4. Cook vegetables using minimum amount of water and with the lid covered to reduce the loss of heat and water-soluble nutrients
5. Shorter cooking time will ensure minimum nutrient losses. Hence, choose methods like steaming, pressure cooking, grilling and microwaving for maximum nutrient retention.
6. Do not chop the vegetables finely as the surface area of the vegetable increases thus increasing nutrient losses
7. Do not overcook vegetables, just cook them till they are crisp
8. Do not store cooked food for a long time as there is nutrient loss. Every time the cooked food is reheated there is further loss.
9. Nutrients are lost during transportation of fruits and vegetables. Further losses occur during storage. Hence, it would be prudent to eat fruits and vegetables fresh and which are not stored much.
10. Baking soda used in vegetables improves the colour and reduces the cooking time but, on the flip side vitamin C and B vitamin - thiamine are lost.
11. One way to recycle the nutrients from vegetables cooked in water is to store the water in which they are cooked to use it later to make soups or curries
12. Milk should not be stored in a glass container as the light sensitive nutrient riboflavin (vitamin B2) is destroyed if it comes in contact with sun light. Always store it in an opaque container.

The B complex vitamins and Vitamin C are the sensitive vitamins to heat and air exposure. With the above steps their maximum retention can be ensured. However, remember that for good health it is a must to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables each day – cooked as well as raw.

One of the key functions of food is to provide nutrition for good health and at the same time food should be a source of joy. Remember to not always worry about making the changes. Just start with a few changes and you will eventually become accustomed to making most changes naturally. Knowing the right steps will help you maximize the nutrients in your diet. So, if you are someone who is on a weight loss diet or looking to just eat healthy, Café Nutrition – the company which houses the best nutritionists in Mumbai could help you plan balanced diets for good health.

Arati Shah is an astute nutritionist having expertise in all types nutrition, she is one of the top 10 dietitians in Mumbai who can also guide one through corporate wellness programs with same efficacy